The Haro Station Wine Experience will hold its most gourmet edition in June

On Saturday, June 16th the seven wineries that make up this emblematic wine neighbourhood will offer their premium wines accompanied by some of the most renowned food from the Rioja region, led by Francis Paniego and the Echapresto brothers.

The day dedicated to professionals will take place on Monday, June 18th and will feature Sarah Jane Evans MW, renowned Master of Wine who is an expert in Spanish wines, as the 2018 “Maquinista del Año”.

The Haro Station Wine Experience (La Cata del Barrio de la Estación) is preparing its most exclusive and gourmet edition yet, which will take place on Saturday, June 16th in Haro. An unmissable event for anyone who is passionate about wine and food around the world.

A day of celebration in which the seven wineries that together make up the Haro Station District will open their doors so that guests can enjoy their premium wines accompanied by an outstanding selection of food, led by several Michelin star chefs from the Rioja region: Francis Paniego with his three Michelin stars (two of them at El Portal de Echaurren) and the Echapresto brothers (one Michelin star at Venta Moncalvillo).

The third edition of this highly prestigious oenological event is organised by the most emblematic and historical wineries of the entire Spanish wine scene: López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta, S.A., Viña Pomal Bodegas Bilbaínas, Muga and Bodegas RODA. All located within a short distance from each other on foot, they will welcome thousands of visitors as they explain their history and their know-how on a day when the streets in Haro Station District will be closed off to traffic and filled with music.

The day open to professionals will be held on Monday, June 18th and will gather the best wine and cooking professionals from all over Spain. Among the planned activities, highlights a Master Class led by the renowned Master of Wine in Spanish wines, Sarah Jane Evans MW, who has been awarded the 2018 “Maquinista del Año”, taking over for Tim Atkin MW and Pedro Ballesteros MW.

The Haro Station District wineries thus have the chance to show the world the philosophy, culture, tradition and recognised quality of their wines, something that has been instrumental in helping Rioja wine to evolve.

The Haro Station Wine Experience celebrated two successful first editions with more than 10,000 wine and food lovers from all over the world, and received the 2016 “La Rioja Capital Award to the Singular Initiative Tied to Agrifood Resources” from the Government of La Rioja, the 2016 “Best Wine Tourism Experience Award” at the International Wine Challenge Awards in MW Spain, and the 2015 “Best of Wine Tourism Initiative” awarded by the International Network of Great Wine Capitals.

The Haro Station District is an economic, agricultural, touristic and cultural powerhouse both nationally and internationally, and is holding this festival with the goal of showing the world the potential of Rioja wines and the beauty of their destination.

The Haro Station District, the birthplace of Rioja wine and a destination unlike any other in the world

In the centre of Haro (La Rioja, Spain) you can find a truly unique place that gathers the largest number of hundred-year-old wineries on the planet. A neighbourhood built around a central axis, the railway station, which serves as the magical enclave for its main protagonist: wine.

The Haro Station District, birthplace of Rioja wine, began to take shape in the second half of the 19th century in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, as a result of the new railway replacing horses as the traditional means of transport for the wine. This fact ended up influencing the name of the place, the birth of the area’s wine-producers, and the successful marketing of their wines all over the world.

There are many factors that make this district second to none. In addition to being home to the aforementioned largest concentration of centennial wineries with their international prestige, you can also find remarkable architecture in the area that combines historic buildings from the 19th century with other more avant-garde constructions, such as those designed by Zaha Hadid or Gustave Eiffel, located in a privileged environment surrounded by historic vineyards that have made this district one of the leading wine tourist-destinations in the entire world.

Of the wineries that are currently located in this enclave, the first to be founded was R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia in 1877, followed by Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) in 1879, Gómez Cruzado in 1886, La Rioja Alta, S.A. in 1890 and Viña Pomal Bodegas Bilbaínas in 1901. Bodegas Muga (founded in 1932) transferred its headquarters to the district in 1970 and Bodegas RODA came in 1987, building their winery on an old cellar.

They are all internationally renowned within the Rioja D.O.Ca. designation of origin and are known not only for their wines, which have received international recognitions and awards, but also for their innovative wine tourism proposals that are open to the public throughout the year, representing an indisputable path that contributes to the development and progress of the region (last year in 2017, the number of visitors exceeded 120,000).